Article
| August 20, 2015

How The Industry Can Take On Wipes In The Waste Stream – And Win

This is the first of a three-part series examining wipes in the waste stream. This first installment looks specifically at the growth of disposable wipes usage within the last decade.

Wastewater professionals are well aware that debris has changed significantly over the last ten years, either through first-hand experience or industry horror story. From the bus-sized fatberg festering within the London sewer system to the pending wipes lawsuit in Minnesota and public outreach efforts to change consumer behavior, municipalities the world over are feeling the overwhelming frustration caused by these seemingly innocent pieces of non-woven fabric. Not only is the waste running through our system tougher and more prevalent than ever before, our aging infrastructure simply can’t keep up. Undersized, original equipment is especially prone to clogging and breakdown, and gradual pipeline and channel deterioration compounds that problem exponentially.